Comments on: Feminism and Equality For Breastfeeding Women

By: Breastfeeding, Formula Feeding and Social Oppression | Breastfeeding Moms Unite

Fri, 13 Nov 2009 23:58:57 +0000

[...] Internalized Dominance is when people in the dominant culture come to see the effects of colonization as normal or natural and are unable to see their privilege. They assume that everyone shares their view of the order of things, including stereotypes of colonized peoples and the view of history as written by the colonizers. Health care professionals can have internalized dominance over patients. Inappropriate hospital practices and the promotion of formula are a form of violence towards women. Violations of a woman’s right to breastfeed, including not receiving her permission to give her infant formula or giving her false information can be seen as a violating of a woman’s human rights. To read more about the feminist approach to equality for breastfeeding, please see this post. [...]

By: Melodie

Melodie — Wed, 30 Sep 2009 01:26:47 +0000

@Jade – You’re kidding right? You must be because your email is bogus so I can’t even address you directly.
First of all, it is my hope that a child would say “Look Mommy! That mommy is nursing her baby!” That’s what my kids say.
Second of all, this can open up dialogue between a mom and her child as to what breasts are for. I guess that you are writing from the position that YOU don’t think your child would understand. Children understand a lot, and if they don’t, then whatever we tell them gets filtered out anyway. If a child asks Why the sky is blue, are they going to understand the real answer? Nope, but if you tell them anyway they’ll probably just say “oh” and be done with it. Kids also think that anything and everything is normal and good and fine until someone tells them otherwise. If you want your children to grow up with a healthy attitude toward breastfeeding then it starts with your attitude towards it.
And breastfeeding moms should be influencing young children and teens. Especially teens for God’s sake! The more a person sees a behaviour the more normal it becomes.
I won’t even respond to your belief that a woman should breastfeed in a bathroom.
Ugh.

By: Jade

Jade — Tue, 29 Sep 2009 22:07:54 +0000

What would happen if a young child walked into a public place such as a shopping mall and spotted a mother breastfeeding. What do you think this child would say? Child: “Mommy what is that lady doing with her baby”? The mother might not want to let her young child know because she doesn’t think the child would understand. The child would be very confused and ask lots of questions.

I’m sorry but I don’t think a shopping mall is the right place to breastfeed your child unless your in a proper changing room/bathroom.

It’s not just the men and women who pass by a mother breastfeeding her infant, it’s also the influence these mothers are posing on the young children and teens walking inside in mall/restaurant ect.

By: Annie @ PhD in Parenting

Annie @ PhD in Parenting — Fri, 28 Aug 2009 18:46:38 +0000

Thank you for this wonderful article Melanie. I’m stumbling it for you.

By: Amber

Amber — Wed, 26 Aug 2009 17:05:12 +0000

There is still so far to go in protecting women’s reproductive rights and their rights in the workplace. It’s so disappointing to me that women still face a ‘motherhood penalty’ where their average income declines after giving birth. And that policies such as adequate maternity leave are viewed as a business liability.

Thank you for creating such a thorough and detailed post. It’s really, really great.

By: Airiane

Airiane — Wed, 26 Aug 2009 15:34:01 +0000

Thank you for this.You just made my day!